Light of Sunrise
by goldenrivers
Summary: Was James always an arrogant bully? Did Lily really hate James, or did she just lose her temper that one time at the lake? And whoever said Lily was a bossy bookworm? Join the marauders and their friends as they go through all sorts of adventures.
1. Glow of Truth

Lily Evans tossed her dark red hair over one shoulder as she came down the stairs to the kitchen. The radio, which had turned on automatically, sang its usual morning jangle as Lily opened the refrigerator. She suddenly paused while pushing things aside to search for the milk.

_What is the newscaster saying?_ "...something like an aurora borealis. Two eyewitnesses swear they saw blue and yellow lights in the evening sky yesterday. Most odd--"

Lily shut the radio thoughtfully, cutting off the newscaster's voice. _I didn't see anything...a pity. That sounds interesting._ She put the milk on the table and opened a cabinet for a bowl and cereal. She barely caught a mug as it began to slide off the edge of the shelf and breathed a quiet sigh of relief, placing it further back to prevent it from falling again.

She heard the click of the mail slot as she carried her breakfast to the living room. _The post can wait a few minutes._ She reveled in the peaceful stillness of the first sunlit hours, when nobody would tell her that food belonged only in the kitchen, and Petunia wouldn't be complaining loudly that she found some of Lily's books in _her_ room.

Yes, she was definitely a morning person. That is, whenever she got up in time to enjoy the peaceful morning hours. She sighed contentedly as she finished her cereal, and put the bowl and spoon away after soaping and rinsing them. Washing your own breakfast dishes was a family rule.

She raised her face to the sunlight pouring in through the kitchen window, then went to the front door and returned with a stack of envelopes. She settled in the living room once more, a recliner this time, and flipped through two bills, a toothpaste advertisement, a coupon for a major department store, another bill...suddenly she stopped. She stared at the heavy yellowish parchment on her lap. _Who uses this type of stuff nowadays? And--wait a minute—it's addressed to_ me

"Lily Evans," she read. "The Kitchen, 46 Elmwood Rd. Redhill, Surrey."

A sudden fear overtook her. _How could anyone have possibly known I would be in the kitchen? Am I being stalked?_ Her eyes involuntarily glanced at the window, but she saw nothing but the gently waving branches of an oak tree and puffy white clouds barely moving against a pale blue sky.

Maybe she should wait for her parents before opening the letter. Yes, that was the wisest thing to do...she wouldn't open it.

Or would she? Naturally inquisitive, and of a somewhat impatient nature, Lily couldn't help turning over the envelope to search for some sign, some clue to the identity of the sender. She looked oddly at the old-fashioned red wax seal. She could make out a lion, a serpent, an eagle, and a badger. Or something like a badger, anyway.

Feeling slightly reckless, and knowing she might be horrified at the contents of the letter, she nevertheless broke the seal and eased the letter out. Dropping her eyes to the first line, she read, "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Her mouth fell open, and for a few seconds she couldn't think. Then she quickly read the entire letter, her eyes flying over the parchment. A slow smile spread across her face. _Could this be true?_

She had always loved magical fairy tales, and had never completely believed that magic didn't exist. And now, it seemed as if her dreams had come true...maybe there _was_ such a thing as magic.

Or maybe this was all just a great joke, cooked up by her next-door neighbor and best friend, Tamara Lorens. _Yes , that makes perfect sense,_ she thought. Logic kicked in. Tami knew of her hope that magic was still alive, and Tami also knew that if she was awake, she'd get the mail.

In retrospect, it was a good thing she hadn't waited for her parents before opening the letter and worried them for nothing. Another thought suddenly occurred to her, and she realized that the envelope had not been stamped or postmarked. That confirmed her suspicions. Tami could've just slipped the envelope in through the mail slot.

The hope and longing that had flared briefly inside her at seeing the letter died. She grinned. _Ooh, Tami. You're gonna get it this time._

She ran to the backyard, climbed the stone wall that bordered their property, and was beneath Tami's second floor bedroom window in three minutes. Before she had a chance to call her friend's name, the window flew open and Tami waved.

"Come on up, the door's unlocked!" Tami called.

Lily opened their back door and bounded up the stairs. This was like her second home, and Mr. Lorens was sort of like an older brother to her. Lily didn't have any brothers or boy friends-that is, friends who were boys--and thought Mr. Lorens was nice.

Often, his work would take him away from home for a few days, and if he couldn't take Tami along, she would stay either at her aunt's or at Lily's house. Lily smiled, remembering their last sleepover. They had watched a movie and eaten popcorn and chocolate till they felt sick. They had stayed awake, talking, till after midnight. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if magic were true?" Lily had asked dreamily.

Tami had nodded with an odd look on her face. "Yes, it would be..." her voice had trailed off into a yawn and they had both gone to sleep soon after. That was probably what gave Tami the idea to send the letter

"Lily?" Tami called. "Did you faint or something?"

Lily looked up to the head of the stairs. Tami had a huge grin on her face and beckoned to Lily. "We have so much to talk about! Come on up!" she said excitedly.

Lily smiled. Tami was pretty, with brown wavy hair, light brown eyes, and a faint spattering of freckles on her nose. But it wasn't her delicate features that made her likable so much as the twinkle in her eyes, the dimples with her smile, and her enthusiastic, fun-loving personality.

"Merlin, Lily--we haven't spoken in _ages_!" Tami said.

After hearing Tami use 'Merlin' as an exclamation for years, Lily had gotten used to it. When she'd gone and checked up Merlin, and discovered he was some ancient wizard, she had asked Tami _why_ she used it, but had never gotten a clear explanation. So she just took it in stride, and now barely noticed when Tami used it.

Lily grinned and began climbing the stairs. "Since when is the definition of 'ages' one day?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She reached the top and high-fived Tami, who was so excited, she was practically jumping. They walked down the hall to Tami's room and sat on the bed.

"So, did you get it?" Tami asked, delight written all over her face. "I just got mine...ooh, I'm so happy!"

"What?" Lily was suddenly surprised. _What was going on? Hadn't Tami sent that letter?_ "What are you talking about, Tami?" Lily asked quickly.

Tami's face fell. "What? I mean...I don't understand...you didn't? You _should've_! I mean, you've always been able to..."

Tami stopped suddenly, her eyes wide, a hand on her mouth. "Don't tell me you didn't get one. Merlin--_please_ don't tell me you didn't get a letter this morning."

"Tami, what's going on? I did get a letter this morning, but--I thought..." Lily's voice trailed off as Tami began jumping all over the room. A miniature glass unicorn fell off the windowsill and shattered, but Tami didn't seem to notice.

Lily preferred this Tami to one that was shocked and upset. She watched amusedly for a few minutes as Tami began loudly singing a song she had never heard, something about "Montrose Magpies" and "faster snitches."

"Tami? You're mad," Lily proclaimed, and grinning, she stretched out on the bed. "When you feel like explaining, I'll be right here."

"Dad!" Tami yelled. "Lily's gotten her letter! I _told_ you she would!"

Mr. Lorens walked, smiling, into the room. "Congratulations, Lily. I'm happy for you, and obviously Tami's thrilled."

Lily was now more confused than ever. Suddenly, the truth hit her. The hopeful feeling she had buried earlier that morning rose up again. "You mean...that letter. It's _true?_"

"Of course, you idiot!" Tami replied. "Oh, I'm so excited I can barely breathe!"

She turned to her father. "Dad, the unicorn fell again. I'm sorry. I'll have to find a different place to put it. Could you please fix it for me?"

"Of course, dear," he replied.

Lily looked from one to the other. How could it have fallen _again_? Didn't it shatter every time it fell?

"Watch, Lily," Tami said. "You're about to see your first _real_ magic show."

Lily realized that Mr. Lorens was holding a thin wooden stick in one hand. He pointed it at the shards of glass, said '_Reparo_' lazily, and blue sparks shot out of the stick. Lily gasped as the hundreds of tiny glass fragments rose into the air and reformed into the lovely glass unicorn they had been before.

Lily could feel her heart pumping forcefully. _Was that magic?_ "What...what just happened?" she asked weakly. There was a pounding in her ears. She didn't dare to believe...

"Oh, Lily." Tami hugged her tightly. "The secrets are finally over. I'm a witch, and so are you."

"I still can't believe you kept it a secret all these years," Lily said over lunch. "I _knew_ I wasn't imagining it when that photograph in your living room winked at me last week," she added, grinning.

They had spread a picnic blanket in the Lorens' backyard, and they laughed and talked as Tami told Lily everything she had ever wanted to know about magic. Mr. Lorens had promised to take them both to Diagon Alley the next day, and Lily's parents were going to come along, too.

They were thrilled that their daughter was a witch. At first, they hadn't believed her, thinking it was just her imagination running wild again. But after Mr. Lorens had spoken to them and proved that magic did, in fact, exist, they had been ecstatic.

"I always had a feeling Lily was special," her father had said, smiling.

"Oh, darling. To think that you've been chosen..." her mother had said joyfully.

They had spoken for a while, her parents beaming the whole time, and then Lily had gone back to talk to Tami.

"Wait till you see Diagon Alley. It's amazing!" Tami said. "My first memory of Diagon Alley is when I was five. I had gotten a strawberry ice cream, and after I ate it, my hair, skin, and clothes turned bright red. They stayed that way for a week," she recalled, laughing. "My mum thought it was a great joke."

Lily's thoughts turned to Mrs. Lorens. She had been a veritable ball of energy, always busy, and always laughing or smiling. Tami was just like her.

Mrs. Lorens had died a year earlier in a terrible fire that had ravaged the Lorens' home. The house had been rebuilt quickly, and Mrs. Lorens' presence could still be felt all over the house. Photographs of her laughing and smiling hung in every room. All the memories Lily had of Mrs. Lorens were happy ones.

Tami's voice cut through Lily's thoughts. "It wasn't an electrical fire, you know. Mum had been trying to transfigure something, but didn't realize it had been 'sealed.' It…it exploded in her face and set the house on fire...I still can't believe my mum could make a mistake like that. She was so good at transfiguration, head of her department at the Ministry. It's so awful..." Her voice trailed off.

"I know," Lily said. "I miss her."

"Me, too," Tami whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "All the time."

Lily put a comforting arm around Tami's shoulders and they leaned back on the blanket, watching the clouds move gently across the brilliant blue summer sky.

_Tap, tap, tap_. James Potter sighed and rolled over underneath the covers. He had been in middle of a good dream--he was watching a Quidditch World Cup game, and the teams were at a tie, 70-70. Now he'd never know who had won.

_Oh, well_. You couldn't have everything in life. Or at least that's what his mum was always telling him. James smiled and stretched, pushing a hand through his messy black hair.

There were two weeks left until the end of the summer holidays, which had been enormous fun. He grinned as he remembered some of the finer points of the summer, which included turning his mum's favorite set of china dishes into rabbits.

With pink, rose-patterned fur.

He couldn't help it. He had been forced to sit through a formal dinner one day with some of his father's partners from the Ministry, and he had felt the boredom and impatience building in him until he couldn't stand it.

Then something in him went _pop_ and everyone's dinner plates had started scampering around the table, nibbling at the lettuce in the salad bowl. James had laughed uproariously and had been sent up to eat dinner in his room, which was what he had wanted anyway.

His mother had calmed down rather quickly, considering that she had just been embarrassed in front of several important Ministry wizards, and his father had transfigured all the rabbits back within two minutes. Nobody was harmed except for the salad, which nobody would touch.

James knew his parents were secretly happy about his frequent "accidents". They would've been horribly disappointed if their only son turned out to be a Squib. With this knowledge in mind, he usually managed to avoid punishment when he got into trouble involving magic. But the furry dinner plates had been the last straw for his mum and dad, and so he'd been sent up to his room.

_Big deal._ He loved a good prank. The only thing that bothered him about the rabbits was that he couldn't take full credit for them, because he hadn't been thinking specifically of rabbits when his magic had taken control.

That would all change once he went to Hogwarts. Once he had a wand and had learnt a few good spells, he would be able to prank people _intentionally_. He couldn't wait.

The tapping sounded again. James walked to his window and threw it open. The handsome brown owl sitting on the windowsill hooted. It stuck out its leg, which had a letter tied to it.

James calmly untied the letter and the owl flew off. He stared after it for a second, then seized the letter and turned it over. The red wax sealing the envelope had a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a serpent imprinted on it.

James let out a joyous yell.

"James?" a voice floated down the hall. "Are you all right, dear?"

"I just got my Hogwarts letter, mum!" he shouted. _Finally._

He tore the envelope open and extracted the heavy yellow parchment. His eyes quickly scanned the letter.

"Yes!" he cheered, punching the air above his head. He had been waiting for this moment for years.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter walked into the room, laughing. "Looks like we'll be making a trip to Diagon Alley today, hmm?" his father said.

"I think this calls for a celebration breakfast." Mrs. Potter smiled.

"Yes!" James cheered again. "Can we have waffles?"

"Of course, darling," his mother answered. "And we can have ice cream, too." She turned to leave the room. "Hurry and get dressed, James, will you?" she called over her shoulder. "We should get an early start if we want to spend the day in Diagon Alley."

James, grinning, turned to get dressed. This was the perfect ending to a wonderful summer. He would get his own wand today, and the independence that came with it. He was more than ready to learn magic.

He absently stroked his pet Kneazle, Tiger, as his intelligent hazel eyes gazed out of the window over their expansive grounds. He watched one of their many Aethonans canter along the fence of the pasture it was in and take off gracefully, soaring through the air.

That instantly made him think of Quidditch. He smiled. He was good at Quidditch, and he knew it. His skill was a combination of a natural talent for flying he had inherited from his mother, and a dexterity that he had developed through practice. Hogwarts had a Quidditch team. He couldn't wait till he was old enough to try out.

With a huge grin on his face, he finished getting dressed and left the room, Tiger following him down the stairs to the kitchen.

A/N: If you could be so kind as to review, I'll be extremely grateful...


	2. Bright Horizons

**Chapter Two: Bright Horizons**

Lily's pretty green eyes darted this way and that, trying to see everything at once and commit it all to memory. She didn't want to forget even one second of her first time in Diagon Alley. Petunia had opted to go to a friend's house for the day rather than come along. Lily frowned. She and Petunia had always gotten along reasonably well, but Petunia wasn't taking the news as well as Lily had hoped she would.

"Told you it's amazing, didn't I?" Tami said from beside Lily.

Behind them, Mr. Lorens was talking animatedly to Lily's parents, explaining what the vendors were selling. "Broomsticks, oldest mode of magical transport...collapsible cauldrons, so glad those came out, having to lug around a three-gallon cauldron was a pain--

Lily's parents smiled at each other, then at Lily, and let him talk uninterrupted.

"Let's go to Gringott's first and exchange your muggle money, shall we, and then we can spend the rest of the day shopping." They began to weave their way through the crowds in the direction of the wizarding bank.

"It's run by goblins," Tami said.

"Goblins? What do they look like?"

"Real creepy. And the way they stare at you down their long noses...urgh," Tami replied. "But don't you ever dare say it in front of them. They're very proud, and if you insult them...Hey, we're here."

"What happens if you insult a goblin?"

"Well, let's just say they'll fight to defend their honor with no regrets about who gets killed in the crossfire," Tami said darkly.

The bank was cool, and quiet compared to the shouting of the vendors and the general noise of the crowd outside. _Goblins_ are _extremely creepy_, Lily thought, but wisely didn't speak her thoughts out loud.

Lily and her parents waited in the lobby and exchanged their pounds for galleons while Mr. Lorens and Tami went to their underground vault. Now armed sufficiently with gold, they made their way out into the street again.

Their first stop was Ollivander's, to get them both wands. Then they went on to buy robes, school books, and supplies.

"Dad, can we go off on our own for a while? Please?" Tami asked, a hopeful look on her face.  
"Well, I did want to take the Evanses for a butterbeer...so if they have no objection—

"Yes! Thanks, Dad," Tami said, when the Evanses shook their heads and smiled. Lily hugged her parents and the adults and children went their separate ways, dividing their many packages between them.

"Good. Now we'll have two hours all to ourselves."

For a while they just window-shopped, stopping at a street vendor to buy crushed ice that changed flavors every few minutes.

"Mmm. Mine's pineapple now. What's yours?" Lily asked.

"It's-ew, coconut. I _hate_ coconut. How much longer till it changes?"

Lily laughed. "Let's swap. I don't mind coconut." Talking and giggling, they continued up the street.

"Oh, look!" Lily said, pointing to a colorful shop window. "It's a pet shop." One of the many things the two friends had in common was a strong love of animals.

"Now _there's_ one place we've got to go," said Tami, and they walked together into the shop. The shop was, surprisingly, not smelly at all; and filled with a combination of weird sounds. Lily and Tami could hear humming, squeaking, meowing, growling, barking, and an occasional _pop_ or _bang_.

There was a rustling sound, then a whirring of feathers, and a large green bird with a bright red beak landed on a wooden perch near the front counter.

"Where'd that come from?" Tami whispered to Lily, surprised.

The bird blinked. It ruffled its feathers, glared at Tami, and said in a deep voice, "My name is Xenobe. Feel free to look around; help will be with you in a moment. And I think you are the rudest of your kind I have ever met." With this statement, it turned its back on them and flew off into the back of the shop.

"What did I do?" Tami asked, turning to Lily.

"Search me. What did she say her name was? 'Any bee?'"

"It's okay," the same deep voice answered from behind them. They whirled around and came face-to-face with a tall, smiling wizard wearing a goatee. "Xenobe's mine. She's very temperamental, and I think she's the rudest of _her_ kind I have ever met. And I didn't choose her name, either."

Tami and Lily grinned.

"Have a look around, and if there's anything you want, ring for me." He pointed to a delicate-looking silver bell on the counter.

They nodded, and began walking up and down the aisles. There were little cards next to each cage describing the animals and their magical properties. _That's considerate,_ Lily thought.

They passed a cage of completely silent bright orange birds. "Fwoopers," the card read. "This African bird's song can drive the listener to insanity. A Silencing charm will need to be performed once a month."

As Tami and Lily stood there, first one and then another began to sing, till they were all singing. The song was achingly beautiful. All thought vanished from Lily's mind, her feet stopped hurting, her stomach stopped growling. All that mattered was the song, the song, only the song--and Lily felt she would die if the birds stopped singing...

"_Silencio!_" A voice shouted, and suddenly the birds were silent.

Lily shook her head, confused. She and Tami were both breathing hard, as if they had just run down the aisle instead of walked.

"Are you two okay?" came the deep voice of the shop owner.

Lily and Tami nodded. "Thank you, sir," Tami said.

"Yeah..." he answered. "Sorry about that."

He muttered under his breath and moved up the aisle. "Effing assistant forgot the charm _again_...I swear I'll kill him this time."

Lily quirked an eyebrow, and Tami smirked at his near usage of a four-letter word.

They reached the back of the shop and encountered an open glass rectangle with what looked like little puppies inside. "Happy Birthday." Lily read. "These Crup puppies are six weeks old today. They will be ready for sale in just one week." Upon closer inspection, they realized theat the brown-and-white puppies all had forked tails.

"Oohh, how sweet!" Lily said, putting a hand into the box. On her left, Tami did the same. The puppies stumbled toward them and began rubbing against their hands, licking their fingers.

"I'm definitely going to get one of these when I graduate Hogwarts," Tami said. "You can't get a license for these unless you can control them from being ferocious to Muggles. We don't have that power yet."

"We will soon," Lily replied, as they turned reluctantly from the Crup cage and began making their way back to the front of the shop.  
"Yeah...we will." Tami said dreamily.

Suddenly, a furry, white creature with black spots hurtled down the aisle, its tail flicking Lily lightly on her leg as it passed. A few feet away, it raised its head, turned back, and trotted toward them, rubbing against Lily's bare legs.

"Look. She's wearing a collar...She belongs to somebody."

A boy with messy black hair that looked to be about their age strode down the aisle. "Tiger! There you are." He was carrying a bag in one hand and a leash in the other.

Tiger looked at him with her intelligent dark eyes, but didn't move from beside Lily.

"That _stupid_ bird thought it would be funny to untie her leash," the boy said, making a face. A sudden whirring of wings, and "that stupid bird" was zooming down the aisle.

"_What_ did you call me?"

Xenobe landed on his shoulder and dug in with her talons. "Hey-ouch! I just...I..._get off_!" The boy yelled as Xenobe began beating him around the head with her wings.

"Take that, and _that_, you horrible boy!"

Tami and Lily hung back, torn between amusement at a bird besting a boy, and concern for the boy's well being. Then, "Accio Xenobe!" A voice shouted from somewhere behind them, and the bird zoomed out of sight, shrieking and cursing.

"I hope you get eaten by a starving thestral!" The boy shouted after her. Tiger ran to him, jumping into his arms, and his anger disappeared. "Thanks for nothing," the boy said affectionately, scratching Tiger behind the ears.

Tiger purred, licking the boy on his cheek.

"I'm James Potter," he said, coming up to them and sticking out a hand.

"Lily Evans. Nice meeting you."

"Tami Lorens. Likewise. First year at Hogwarts?"

James nodded. "You?"

Nods all around.  
"Tiger likes you," James said, addressing Lily. "That's a huge compliment. Kneazles aren't very trusting by nature."

Lily smiled. "Oh, is that what she is? She's pretty."

"Yeah," Tami said. "How old is she?"

"Three. I've had her since she was a kitten." James grinned proudly. "Well, anyway. Got to get going. Nice meeting you, er..."

"Lorens."

"And Evans."

"Nice meeting you too, Potter," Tami said.

Lily nodded.

James walked off, Tiger at his side, now with her leash attached securely to her collar.

"Wonder if he'll be in our house," Lily said. Tami had briefed her about the four Hogwarts houses and what they represented.

"We'll find out soon enough." They walked out into bright sunlight, squinting against the glare.

"Oh! They're here," a voice called. Lily's parents and Tami's father strolled over. "All done, girls?" Mr. Evans asked.

"Uh huh. We had a wonderful time. Thank you."

"Can we have lunch? I'm starving."

"Me, too."

Mr. Lorens smiled. "Well, now that you mention it, I know of this lovely little Italian restaurant—

"Sounds great. Let's go!"

"You should be proud of the fact that I'm normal! Lily's a _witch_! She's some kind of weird freak!" Petunia was screaming, her face red in anger. She had just lost control. "Anything Lily's ever done has been wonderful. When she put a frog under my pillow last month, that was _funny_! I'm sure if I'd ever have gotten such a letter, you'd have chucked me straight out!"  
"Petunia! That's enough. You know that's not true. We already agreed on the fact that the frog escaped from the box Lily was keeping it in, and hid under your pillow. Lily did _not_ put it there. Your mother and I love you both equally, whether you're witches or not." Mr. Evans put a placating hand on Petunia's shoulder and threw a desperate look at his wife.

"You're lying, and you and I both know it." Petunia shrugged off her father's hand and angrily stormed from the dinner table. "I hate you! I hate you all!"

Lily gasped and burst into tears. Sobbing, she ran up the stairs to her room.

"No, Lily. Wait!"

Two doors slammed, one after the other. Mr. Evans took a deep breath and released it slowly. "All right," he said, addressing his wife. "You go take care of Lily, and I'll do my best with Petunia."

They walked up the stairs together and parted at the landing. Mrs. Evans knocked at Lily's door and walked in. Lily was lying face down on the bed, sobbing into her pillow.

"Lily, darling." Mrs. Evans sat on the edge of the bed, gently rubbing Lily's back. "I'm sorry about the things Petunia said to you. She was just--er—surprised, that's all.

"She...she said I was...abnormal...a...a freak," Lily sobbed.

"That's not true, Lily. You're very special, and very lucky to be going to Hogwarts. Your father and I are both so proud of you."

Mr. Evans walked in, closing the door quietly behind him. "She wouldn't let me in," he mouthed. He joined his wife on the side of the bed. "Lily, we're both so happy that you've been accepted into Hogwarts. I don't know what we ever did to deserve a daughter this wonderful."

Lily sat up, her body still shuddering with dry sobs. "You...you don't think I'm-weird?"

"No, Lily. We love you no matter what. You're _not_ weird. And even if you would be, we'd still love you, flower."

Lily hugged her father and kissed her mother on the cheek. "Thanks, Mum..Dad. I love you both."

"No more tears, dear. You're going to Hogwarts with Tami! You must be the luckiest girl in all of England."

"Don't worry about Petunia. She'll come around, you'll see." Her mother sounded hopeful, and her father smiled. But Lily felt, somewhere deep inside, that something had changed permanently between herself and Petunia. Something irreparable had been broken in their relationship, and things would never be the same again.

Her parents stood to leave the room, and Lily smiled. _I have the most wonderful parents in the world.  
And_, a little voice in her mind added, _the most horrible sister._

James lay stretched out on his Tutshill Tornados bedspread, eating pumpkin cookies. He gazed at a Quidditch poster that hung on the opposite wall. It showed Roderick Plumpton making his record-breaking capture of a snitch. The game had been over in three-and-a-half seconds. Tornados fans hadn't been sure whether they should be euphoric or disappointed. He grinned. That player had style.

Tiger noiselessly leaped onto the bed and lay next to James, throwing a paw over his chest. He stroked her back gently. _There's still plenty of daylight left,_ he mused. _Maybe I could—_

"Mum!" He yelled. Tiger glared at him and flounced out the door, tail held high.

"I've told you not to yell, dear. If you want to tell me something, come here."

James stood and brushed cookie crumbs off his shirt. He took the stairs two at a time and jumped the last three. "Can I go riding, Mum? Please?"

"I don't know, James. You know I don't like you taking out the horses before they've been exercised."

James rolled his eyes. He'd been riding since he was eight, and his mother still didn't let him ride the horses unless they'd had 'the tickles taken out of them,' as his father put it.

"Middy was out today. You can ride him," Mr. Potter called from the next room.

"Thanks, Dad!" James ran outside. Inside the stables, he took an enchanted key from it's hook under a little bronze sign labeled "Midnight". He walked down the broad aisle and breathed in the smells of sawdust, hay, and horse.

He called to the horses as he passed them, stopping to stroke their noses and let them whiff at his fingers. "Hi, boy." This was Derry, a Granian, noted for their speed. "Hello, girl." Penny, one of their many Aethonans, her chestnut coat gleaming.

Reaching Middy's stall, James whistled softly. "Hey, Middy. How are you today?"

He stretched out a hand and petted the Aethonan's velvety nose. "Would you like to go out for a while, boy?"

The chestnut stallion whickered softly in reply. James unlocked the stall and carefully led Middy outside, replacing the key on its hook. He walked Middy to the pasture and swung himself up on his back. "Let's go, Middy. Take me for a ride."

Middy began trotting, then cantering. Raising his beautiful head, Middy neighed joyously. He was galloping now, running flat out across the field. James could feel the muscles on Middy's back tense, then he spread his wide, powerful wings and rose into the air.

James cheered. "That was magnificent, Middy!" Soaring through the air, his black hair whipped back from his face, James could see every mile of their expansive grounds.

"Would you like a plum, Middy? Let's go to the orchards." Middy banked to the left and began descending. They landed gently in a grove of plum trees, and James slid off Middy's back. He picked two ripe red plums and held one on his palm. Middy leaned forward and delicately ate the plum from James' hand, while James ate the other.

They stayed there for a while, James thinking about how much he loved flying and horses and summer plums and the sweet smell of grass where Middy's hooves had crushed it.

Too soon, it was time to head back, and they rose into the air once more. James stroked Middy's neck and recalled the way his parents' eyes lit up when they talked about Hogwarts. The setting sun threw its last few rays over them and Middy's chestnut coat shone copper and gold. James sighed contentedly and gazed at the purple and orange clouds on the horizon. Times were changing. In just two weeks, he'd be on the train to Hogwarts. He couldn't wait. "Hogwarts, here I come!" he shouted into the wind.

**A/N: **Did this chapter make you smile? Frown? Yawn? Let me know in a review!


	3. Sparkle of Friendships

**Chapter Three: Sparkle of Friendships**

The scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express puffed smoke out over the platform. "Bye, Mum. Love you, Dad. Don't miss me too much," Lily said with a little smile on her face.

"Now, that's impossible, Lily," her father replied. "Have fun at your new school, my lovely flower."

"Don't forget to write, darling," her mother added. "We'll think of you every day."

One last hug and kiss, and Tami was pulling Lily towards the train. Pushing their trunks before them, they stepped off the platform and onto the train. They waved goodbye as the train began to move, till it went around a bend and the people on the platform disappeared.

Lily and Tami were still standing in the corridor. In keeping with her impatient nature, Lily nudged Tami with her elbow. "We'd better find ourselves a compartment." They began walking down the corridor, glancing into compartments as they passed them.

"Not this one, there's a prefect meeting going on inside...see their badges?"

"Ooh, looks like somebody's ink bottle smashed in this one. I wonder if it stains permanently."

"That one's full...Merlin, they're huge. Must be seventh years."

In every compartment, people were beginning to settle in, taking out food, quill and parchment, things to read or games. "Hey," Lily said. "Doesn't that animal look familiar?" She inclined her head towards the next compartment.

"Merlin, yeah! It's the kneazle from the pet shop. Now we know there's at least _one_ first year in there...let's see if there's room for us."

Lily slid open the compartment door and they stepped inside. "Hello...any room in here?"

A boy with thin dirty-blond hair and bangs looked up from the crossword puzzle he was doing in the _Daily Prophet_. "Looks like it," he said ruefully, gesturing at the five seats left, one of which was occupied by the kneazle.

Tami and Lily heaved their trunks onto the overhead rack, panting slightly with the effort, and sat down next to the kneazle and across from the boy. The kneazle instantly jumped onto Lily's lap, purring. Lily petted her gently. "What was her name again?"

"Her name's Tiger." The boy with the messy black hair stood in the doorway, looking curiously at Lily. "How'd you get her to come to you?"

"I didn't. She sort of just...jumped onto me." said Lily.

"Oh. Hey, didn't I meet you two in Diagon Alley?"  
"Yeah, that's us."

The boy took the seat next to Tami.

"What was your name again?" Lily asked.

"Potter." He opened a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Biting into a green one, he made a face and spit it out into his hand.

"Ew! That's disgusting-did you _have_ to do that?" Tami yelled, sliding as far away from him and his spitty hand as she could--which wasn't much.

The blonde boy glanced up. "You didn't expect him to actually _eat_ the nasty thing, did you?"

"Merlin, yeah! Better than spitting it out!"

The blonde shook his head. "Girls," he muttered, and went back to his crossword.

James shrugged, then fished around in the bag and took out a red bean. Popping it into his mouth, he chewed experimentally for a few seconds, then swallowed. "Not bad. Cough potion."

"Yuck." Lily made a face. She reached up and took a bag of oatmeal cookies out of her trunk. "Now _these_ are good."

"What kind are those?" James asked interestedly.

"Oatmeal. They're homemade."

"Hey, that's cool...I've got pumpkin. Wanna trade?"

"Well...you can have a cookie, but I'm not touching _anything_ from your spitty hands."

"Ew. Neither am I," Tami added.

James narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "You know what? I don't think I _want_ your cookie."

"Suit yourself," she answered drily. She had always enjoyed irritating the boys at her old muggle school, particularly because _they_ were always looking for ways to annoy her. _Which had never been too easy for them,_ she recalled, smiling slightly.

Tami made a point of turning her back to him and engaging Lily in conversation, sharing the oatmeal cookies between them. James looked the other way and tried to pretend like he didn't notice, or care, that the girls were ignoring him.

Lily and Tami saw right through this act, but didn't remark on it. Lily glanced over at him occasionally, but only when he wasn't looking, of course. She began to feel just a _bit_ sorry about the way they had treated him. _Granted, what he did was gross, but maybe they_ had _overreacted just a bit..._

After ten excruciatingly long minutes for James, during which Tiger still sat on Lily's lap, purring comfortably, and he felt he would die of boredom, the door slid open. James looked up and saw a short boy with long, straight, black hair.

"Hey," the boy said. "Don't suppose I could sit here?"

"Why not?" James asked. _Finally, a distraction from those two irritating girls._

"Got thrown out of the other compartment I tried."

"Why's that?" James asked curiously.

"Ah. Now _there's_ a good question."

Lily and Tami looked up, curious.

"Did you do something against the rules?" The blond boy asked.

"What rules?" Lily and James asked simultaneously. Lily grinned. _Maybe this Potter boy wasn't so bad, after all._

The blond boy's face turned slightly pink as he bent once more over his newspaper. _Great job,_ he thought disgustedly. _That was _definitely _the right thing to say._

"We haven't been told any rules yet, so how could we break them?" James demanded, with a side glance at Lily.

"Good point, that." The black-haired boy nodded. "Tell it to the prefects." He threw himself into the seat next to the blonde boy. "I'm starving. Anybody with food feeling generous?"

"Want an oatmeal cookie?" Lily offered.

"Nah, I can't stand oatmeal. Used to have to eat it every morning, cold, till I began making my own breakfasts."

"You make your own breakfasts?" James looked amazed.

"What's the big deal?" Lily said haughtily. "So do I."

"Oh, come off it, Lily, the only thing you know how to make are eggs," Tami said, laughing. "And why are you acting all stuck-up about it?" she whispered in Lily's ear.

James and the black-haired boy laughed in a friendly way. Though they hadn't heard Tami's whisper, Lily flushed. "Thanks a lot, Tami." She said, shooting Tami a dirty look. Hardly anybody but Tami could insult her like that, and get away with it. Maybe that was because somewhere, buried deep in Lily's subconscious, she _knew_ that she needed to be criticized sometimes, and was grateful for it...or maybe it was just because of the loving way Tami said it, almost as if it weren't an insult. Whatever the reason, Lily didn't mind Tami criticizing her, as long as it didn't happen _too_ often. _But in public..._that was too much.

"Oh, come on now, don't go and get all insulted," the black-haired boy said. "The only thing _I_ know how to make is toast. And I burned it this morning."

Lily smiled reluctantly, feeling slightly better.

"So, anybody got any food?" The boy asked.

"How about a pumpkin cookie?" Asked James.

"You've got pumpkin cookies? You serious?"

James nodded.

"No, wait. _You_ can't be Sirius!"

"Why not?" James asked, taking out a cookie as proof.

"Because _I'm_ Sirius. Sirius Black." He paused, suddenly doubtful. "Unless you're named Sirius, too?"

Lily quirked an eyebrow at Tami, who rolled her eyes.

"No...I'm James Potter."

"Well, good to meet you James, and all the rest of that rubbish our parents brainwashed us to say." Ignoring the girls' disapproving expressions, he took the cookie James held out and stuffed it into his mouth. "Yum. They're homemade, aren't they?" he asked through a mouthful of cookie, spraying crumbs everywhere.

"Yes." James made a face at the two girls, who had moved to the farthest possible side of the compartment, with disgusted looks on their faces. "See, he likes them!"

"Why, wasn't I supposed to? Did you just poison me or something, mate?"

James liked the easy way Sirius used the word 'mate'. "Nah, I ate one too, I swear. Have another." James got up and sat himself next to Sirius, extending the bag of pumpkin cookies and taking one himself.

Tiger raised her head and meowed softly, and James threw her a cookie. "Though you're a traitor," he muttered. She caught it in her mouth and ate it slowly, blinking innocently at him and dropping crumbs on Lily's lap.  
"Well, the girls haven't introduced themselves, have they? Tut, tut. Where are your manners?" Sirius asked, smirking slightly.

"I'm Lily Evans." She said this cooly, and raised an eyebrow. Evidently, she didn't think too much of _Sirius'_ manners.

"And I'm Tami Lorens. You've got crumbs on your shirt."

"Fancy that. I've always wanted that to happen," he said.

"Why, haven't you ever eaten a cookie before?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"No." He stared at her unwaveringly. "I haven't."

Lily raised her eyebrows, wondering what he meant. _Was it possible he'd_ really _never eaten a cookie? Preposterous._

"So, James...have you tried out your wand yet?" Sirius asked, cramming another cookie into his mouth.

"Yeah. Didn't get anything but sparks, though. How about you?"

"Oh, I got more than sparks, mate, much more."

"What did you get?"

"Flames. I snuck into the rule-kissing prefects' meeting up in front of the train and set their trunks on fire."

"You _what_? How did you do that?" Lily asked, a reluctant smile creeping onto her face.

"Simple matter of knowing the right words." Sirius winked.

James grinned. Sirius was _definitely_ his kind of guy. He began telling Sirius about some of his summer escapades. When he got to the dishes-that-turned-into-rabbits story, Sirius had tears of laughter in his eyes.

"Ha! Merlin, that's a good one. I'll have to try that one on my mum sometime."

James glanced over at Tami and Lily, who were ignoring the boys again. They were discussing, of all things, _shoes_. "—I mean, I like buying shoes, but I'm not obsessed with them the way some teenagers are. I wonder if we'll be like that someday?"

"Yeah, I have two favorite pairs of shoes, but I have this teenage cousin-remember Martha? She has _twenty-seven_ favorite pairs. And she has another thirty pairs just sitting and molding in the closet."

"Do shoes mold?" James muttered to Sirius.  
Sirius snickered. "I wouldn't ask if I were you."

"...you're wearing pretty shoes, you make a good impression on--"

"Speaking of shoes..." The blonde boy glanced up. "I can't figure out this crossword hint. It says, 'In the Muggle story of Cinderella, what were the main character's shoes made of?'"

"That's an easy one." Lily said. "Glass."

"Glass?" He repeated incredulously. "No wonder I couldn't figure it out. What kind of person would wear glass shoes?"

"It's a fairy tale." Lily retorted. "Er-that means it's a made-up story. So not everything has to be realistic."

"Oh. It's odd, though. Thanks for the answer." And he bent once more over his newspaper.

Lily stared at him absently for a few seconds, then turned to Tami. "Actually, with magic, glass slippers probably _could_ exist. They'd be unbreakable, and have a cushioning charm..."

Sirius stood up and stretched. "Looks like that's going to keep them busy for a while," he said to James. "Let's go 'explore the train.'" Sirius winked, taking out a little wooden box with holes drilled in it.

James stood and cleared his throat. "Er...excuse me, Evans; can I have my kneazle back?"

"Gladly. Sorry, but I never asked her to come to me in the first place, I dunno why she—Ow!" Lily exclaimed, as Tiger dug her sharp claws into Lily's thigh. "What was that for?"

James shrugged. "It's never a good idea to insult Tiger. Let's go, girl." Tiger leaped lightly off Lily's lap and followed James and Sirius out of the compartment.

"Well, that was rude," Lily remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, no fair," the blonde boy said. "It's his kneazle, after all, and you _did_ insult it."

"Lily gaped at him. "I don't believe you've introduced yourself?" She said stiffly.

"Remus Lupin. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad, I just--"

"That's okay. Maybe—maybe you're right." She turned to Tami. "I guess we should apologize to Potter," she said seriously. "We haven't been too nice to him."

Smiling slightly, Remus leaned once more over his crossword puzzle. Five minutes later, the door banged open and James and Sirius burst inside. "That was brilliant! Did you see the look on that short girl's face?"  
"Okay, boys; do we even _want_ to know what you just did?" Tami asked, knitting her eyebrows.

"I thought you weren't talking to me?"

"Oh, that. Er—we're sorry." Lily looked sideways at Tami.

"We—er—we started that argument, and..."

James looked surprised. Then he grinned. "That's okay." The look on his face, however, seemed to indicate that it was more than just 'okay.'

"So...what _did_ you do?" Lily asked.

"Ah." James and Sirius looked at each other and smirked. "Well, we sneaked into a compartment of third years..." James paused dramatically, "...and released _these_!"

Four tiny green frogs jumped out of a box Sirius was holding. The boys were expecting the half-shriek that came out of Lily's mouth, but not the words that followed. "Oh, they're so _cute_!" And she knelt and cupped one in her hand. "Oohh...it's so tiny, so..._alive_. I love baby frogs."

Lily looked up at the boys' astonished faces and then caught Tami's eye. The two girls burst out laughing. "Merlin! Dear, sweet Merlin," Tami gasped. "Were we supposed to be _afraid_ of them?" And she erupted into laughter again.

"Well, yeah," James said, bemused. "Or at least disgusted. The third years were."

"Goodness," Lily said, giggling after every few words. "To think that...hee, hee, hee...I would be afraid of a _frog_...ha, ha, hee...I bring at least ten of them home every summer!" Lily was laughing so hard, tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

James looked impressed; Sirius, annoyed. "Merlin, I don't see what's so funny," Sirius said sulkily.

"Sorry," Lily said, still laughing. "But you were going to prank us and then laugh at our expense, so it's only fair that _we're_ laughing at _you_ instead."

Sirius groaned. "Hey, you!" He said, addressing Remus. "Maybe you could support us here? I mean, we'll be three against two! You'll raise the stakes in our favor."

Remus looked at once hopeful and wary. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Lily thought he looked a bit uncomfortable, as though he were unsure of the ground he was treading.

"Never mind." Sirius sighed. "Go back to your crossword."

As Sirius knelt to collect the frogs, Lily thought she detected a hurt look in Remus' eyes. For the smallest part of a second, he had a wounded, defeated look on his face, then it was replaced by a carefully closed expression. _Was she the only one who had noticed?_

**A/N: **

Roses are red,  
Violets are blue.  
Did you like the chappie?  
Please review!


	4. Flickering Destinies

**Chapter Four: Flickering Destinies**

A few hours later, with the sky turning steadily darker, it was time to change into their school robes. "Okay, guys, get out--we need to change," Lily told the boys.

Remus reddened slightly and left immediately.

"What makes you think we'd _want_ to stay?" Sirius asked with a smirk. James didn't say a word; just smiled and followed Sirius out.

"That Black boy has an attitude," Tami said.

"Yeah, but he's cute," Lily replied indulgently. They changed quickly, unsure when the boys would get back. "Ah, privacy," said Lily. "Rare and precious." She sighed. "I'm getting hungry--it's been hours since lunch."

Tami's stomach growled loudly. "Yeah, me too," she said, laughing. They had just sat down when there was a loud crash from the corridor.

"Blimey. What's happened?" They ran to the door and looked out. All along the corridor, heads were peeking out of compartment doors. "Oh! Dear, sweet Merlin," Tami said, slowly shaking her head. Lily's mouth was wide open in shock.

The food cart that the smiling witch sold sweets out of had crashed, and food was thrown everywhere. Standing in middle of the mess were two very familiar boys...Black and Potter.

"What on _earth_!" The food witch, no longer smiling, strode down the corridor. "What were you _thinking_? As soon as you two get sorted I'm speaking to your Heads of houses. You're each getting a detention. I can't _believe_ the audacity..." Lily shut the compartment door, effectively cutting off the witch's voice.

"Wow. That was fast, wasn't it?" Tami looked mildly impressed.

"Yeah," said Lily. "Excellent show."

"Uh huh. Well, they definitely got the attention they were looking for."

"Yeah. And the punishment they deserved. I _do_ feel sorry for that nice witch."

"What? We were _so_ not doing it for the attention!" Sirius said loudly from the doorway.

"Yeah, that was just a side bonus," James added, grinning impishly.

"You got that right, mate." Sirius high-fived James.

"Well, then, if you weren't doing it for attention, why in Merlin's name _did_ you do it?" asked Tami, her hands on her hips.

"Ahh. It was all about money. The one force that rules the world. And, of course, for the challenge."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...some fourth year told us, 'I bet you can't make the smiling witch mad.' So we said, 'Sure we can.' So he said, 'Okay, let's see if you could make her mad enough to get the first detention of the year.' So we asked him, 'How much you wanna bet?' So he said, 'Five galleons.' So we told him to make it six so that me and James here could split it more easily. He agreed and, well, you saw the rest."

"You bet we did," Tami muttered.

"I think you should rephrase that, Tami," said Lily, winking.

Sirius grinned. He took three galleons out of his pocket and handed them to James. "All yours, mate. Great job."

James smiled broadly and pocketed the gold. "Anytime."

"So?" Sirius turned to the girls expectantly. "Care to comment?"

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Not really. I think you two got enough attention for today."

The train slowed, and began pulling into Hogsmeade Station. A voice came from behind James and Sirius, who still stood in the doorway, looking slightly disappointed. "Excuse me, guys, you're blocking traffic." They turned to see Remus.

"Oh, sorry," said James. "Hey, what do you say to our little show before?"

"Oh, that. Er...it was definitely, er...daring."

"Yeah, it was, though, wasn't it?" Sirius grinned. "Here, let me help you with that." Remus removed his trunk from the overhead rack with Sirius' assistance.

"Thank you," Remus said carefully.

"Yeah, no problem. What was your name again?"

"Remus Lupin."

"Okay...see you at the sorting," James said.

"Yeah." Remus nodded and left, dragging his trunk behind him.

James, Sirius, Lily and Tami left the train soon after and joined a knot of first years standing on the platform, uncertain where to go. Then, "Firs' years over here!" a voice called, and they followed a giant of a man with bushy hair and beard down a winding road that led to a large lake. There were many small boats anchored near the shore.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the huge man shouted.

"I think his name's Hagrid," Tami whispered.

Lily and Tami joined a blonde girl they didn't know who was sitting alone in a boat. She ignored their greeting, and the boats started forward, heading for the opposite shore. Pretty soon, they could make out twinkling lights through the mist, and then a large castle came into view.

"So, Lily. This is the fairy-tale castle you always dreamed about. All you're missing is the prince."

"Yeah." Lily smiled, gazing up at the castle. "It's a dream come true."

------

"All right. Time for the Sorting." Professor McGonagall was back, and the first years nervously followed her the Great Hall. A fraying black wizard's hat sat on a stool in the center of the hall. It sang a long song about the four Houses and they qualities they stood for. When it finally finished, everyone applauded politely. Then there was silence, as Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a long parchment in one hand.

"Berl, Sara." The blonde girl who had shared their boat. "Slytherin." The table to the far right applauded.

"Black, Sirius." The hat took its time with him. Then, finally, it said 'Gryffindor' in a respectful tone. There was a long moment of silence. Then the table on the far left exploded into cheers. "Oh, _well_ done, Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall said, beaming. "Well done."

Lily was puzzled. _What's going on? Oh, well, I'll find out later,_ she thought.

A few more names were called, two Hufflepuffs and another Slytherin. Then, "Cruz, Danielle." A slim girl with Spanish features started forward and tripped. There was a collective gasp. Danielle rose, very red in the face, and was declared a Gryffindor one minute later. She ran to her table, talking very fast and to nobody in particular. "My God, did you see me fall? Flat on my face! That was absolutely _mortifying_—I felt like I would die on the spot! And when I..."

Meanwhile, the Sorting was continuing. "Evans, Lily." Lily walked nervously to the stool and put the hat on. After about ten seconds, the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!" She walked to the table and sat down, crossing her fingers for Tami.

Ten minutes later, Tami was sorted into Gryffindor. "Yes!" Lily cheered. They high-fived each other as Tami sat down. "Now we'll be in the same dorm and everything!" Tami said excitedly.

"Lupin, Remus," McGonagall called, and Remus walked up to the hat, twisting his hands and looking, perhaps, more nervous than anybody else had looked. The hat took about five seconds, then shouted, "Gryffindor!" Lily could see that the wizard with the long, silver beard—"that's Dumbledore," Tami whispered—looked immensely pleased.

When "McAllen, Scott," was sorted into Ravenclaw, the girl named Danielle who was sitting further up the Gryffindor table groaned loudly. "No, Scott! _Why?_"

About five minutes later, a boy-Peter Pettigrew-was sitting on the Sorting stool. After a long three minutes, the hat finally called out 'Gryffindor' in a dubious voice. The boy, his face covered in sweat, came to sit at their table.

Two more students were sorted, and then "Potter, James" was called. "Come on, mate, don't fail me now," Sirius muttered under his breath. Three seconds later, when James was sorted into Gryffindor, Sirius cheered wildly and ran over to him, slapping him hard on the back.

"Looks like we're stuck with the troublemakers," Tami said, shaking her head and grinning.

"Yeah. Not that I mind. They'll spice up school for us," replied Lily, smiling back at her.

Ten minutes later, there was one girl left to be sorted. Looking very at ease, despite being the center of attention, "Zehnwirth, Debra" was sorted into Slytherin. Lily and Tami watched the pretty, Black girl walk, straight-backed, to the table on the far right.

"You saw how she wasn't nervous at all?" Tami asked wonderingly.

"Uh huh. She's cool." Lily replied. "Very confident." A huge platter of chicken suddenly appeared in front of her, and the rest of the table filled with food as well. Everyone dug in, stuffing themselves. "Wow," Lily remarked. "Impressive."

"Now _this_ is what I call a feast!" Sirius exclaimed, his plate piled high with food.

"You're going to eat all that?" Lily asked amusedly.

"Of course!" And Sirius began eating like he'd never seen food before.

There was a sudden meowling sound. "Tiger!" James exclaimed. "You were supposed to stay in the dorm...how'd you find your way down here?"

"She probly follered the shmell of food," Sirius said, his mouth bulging.

James picked her up. "Never mind." He fed her a piece of chicken, which she ate slowly, crunching the bones, and then just sat, watching everyone eat and washing her whiskers.

Fifteen minutes later, most people, excluding Sirius, had satisfied their appetites somewhat, and Tiger had wandered off. Talk at the table had gravitated toward Houses. "My father was in Ravenclaw," said Tami, "but he'll be thrilled when he hears I'm a Gryffindor. My mother was a Gryffindor," she added softly.

"My parents were both in Gryffindor," James said, "but I don't think they'd've cared where I went, as long as I did well there."

"Ha." Sirius had finally paused in his eating rampage. "My mum'll probably kill me for not being accepted into Slytherin. She warned me that whatever I did, I shouldn't end up in Gryffindor, because, she says, 'Gryffindor's for saps.'"

"Is that true?" Lily asked, creasing her forehead.

"Of course not. If my mum forbade me from going here, it's probably the best house." Sirius grinned.

"But I don't understand," a girl on his left piped up. "Isn't what your mum wants important to--"

"—My mum's a lying hag," Sirius cut in angrily. The girl gasped. "I don't give a _damn_ what she wants," he continued. "The hat didn't even consider Slytherin, which is what she would have preferred, so obviously, it's not the best House for me." Sirius glowered, staring into the distance. "If she can't accept it...accept _me_, the way I am, that's her problem."

There was a stunned silence. _That's why there was such a big deal about him being sorted into Gryffindor,_ Lily thought. _Everyone assumed he would be a Slytherin._

Just then, the food melted off their plates and were replaced by sweets. With everyone grabbing at the delicacies, the awkward moment was effectively smoothed over. Sirius took a chocolate ice cream and, brooding, stabbed a spoon hard into the soft, brown dessert. Within minutes, however, Sirius had joined James in an enthusiastic discussion about Quidditch, and his anger was forgotten, at least for the moment.


	5. Time Flashes By

"Wake _up_ sleepyhead...Get _out_ of your bed...Don't _fall_ on your head..." Tami was sitting on the window seat, singing very loudly, and very much off-key.

Lily squinted in the bright sunlight that flooded their dormitory and groaned. "You used 'head' already," she said vaguely.

"Did I?" Tami shrugged. "Oh, well...I always suspected I suck at poetry. Now I'm sure."

Lily groaned again, louder this time. "Where _is_ everybody? And when's first class?" She yawned.

"At breakfast, and you have twenty minutes. I would've let you sleep longer, but, you know, it's the first day, and all that."

"_What!_ Goodness, you know I like to be up early on school days..."

"Yeah, but we went to sleep late last night, and you were sleeping so deeply; I couldn't _bear_ to wake you up." Tami smirked. She loved pushing Lily's buttons.

"Whatever. Just do me a favor and don't do this again."

"Okay, fine...anything you say, Lily. But you'll be eating your words on the weekend. I'll wake you up at dawn."

"Arghh. I give up," said Lily exasperatedly, throwing her hands into the air. "I need to get dressed. Now."

"She finally gets it." Tami grinned. "I brought you up breakfast, by the way. You're welcome."

"Oh. Er...thanks." Lily took a moment to feel abashed. Tami would _never_ let her start the day without breakfast. "What on earth would I do without you?" Lily asked, heading for the bathroom.

"Go hungry!"

"Ha, ha," Lily called back, her voice muffled by the sound of running water.

---

"Sirs," a voice squeaked anxiously, "it is ten minutes till breakfast is cleared from the tables...and twenty-five till first class. I have been ordered to make sure that...Sirs! Wake up!"

Suddenly, each of the boys felt a jolt somewhat like an Electrifying Hex, and were completely and thoroughly awake. And furious. "I'm going to kill the little monster," Sirius growled, looking around for the house-elf that had woken them up. He harbored an intense hate towards house-elves in general, because Kreacher, the house-elf at his house, was extremely loyal to his mother; and therefore treated Sirius with measured dislike.

"Too late. He's gone," James replied, yawning. "My body's still in summer vacation sleep mode...wonder where Tiger is."

"My body never _was_ in summer vacation mode," Sirius said darkly. "My mum had me up at dawn every day. I really need to catch up on some sleep...maybe I should skip class..."

Remus groaned. He had dark shadows under his eyes, and looked somewhat worse than he should've looked just for lack of sleep. The full moon was just a few days away. "I'm dead tired. And it's not a good idea to skip first class, Sirius," he said, deadpan. "Wait till second class."

Sirius laughed, a barklike sound. "Okay, maybe I'll take your advice, mate."

Remus's eyes lit up, and with a sudden newfound energy, he jumped out of bed and hurriedly began dressing. James and Sirius were casual about their newfound friendship, but to Remus, having friends was an extraordinary experience. He wasn't used to his peers treating him as an equal, because all his neighbors had known he was a werewolf.

To have people his own age treat him like he actually mattered, not like he was just some _monster, _meant a lot to Remus. His self-worth had been badly damaged by one too many taunts; but now that he had James and Sirius, who treated him with respect and affection, his spirit could begin to heal. Granted, they didn't know he was a werewolf. And he wasn't planning on ever telling them. He knew how they would react...why ruin a good thing when he had it?

"Look, I don't mean to rush you, mates, but we've got five minutes till breakfast is over...and kick the bloke in that last bed, there-he hasn't made a sound yet."

"Maybe he's dead," Sirius said hopefully, "and then we'll have to talk to the authorities and we won't have to go to class!"

A moan came from the boy in the last bed; the one they hadn't met yet, having been too tired the night before for introductions.

"No such luck," James said, straightening the robes he had thrown on and bending to tie his shoes.

Remus grinned, pulling on a pair of socks.

"Too bad." Sirius ran a comb through his hair. He sighed. "We should stock up on food and keep it in our dorm for emergencies like these."

Remus looked thoughtful. "Good idea. We'd have to find out where the kitchens are, though."

"We'll work on it." James stood. "We've got four minutes...let's go. I'm starving."

----

_Remus, you were right,_ Sirius scrawled on a spare piece of parchment. _First class with McGonagall was okay, but this class is about as interesting as watching Flobberworms mate._ Sirius lobbed the parchment across the aisle and Remus caught it.

His reflexes were good, one of the few perks of being a werewolf. He unfolded the note and raised his eyebrows. "When have you ever seen Flobberworms mate?" he whispered.

"Oh, shut up," Sirius retorted.

There was a time when those words would've made Remus flush in anger and embarrassment, but now he merely smiled, realizing that it was said playfully.

"What's James doing?" Sirius muttered, deciding that in Binn's class there was no point in using up good parchment; Binns wouldn't recognize a disturbance if a dragon flew through the window. _Well. Maybe then he would. Whatever._

Remus turned in his seat, James was sitting behind him. "Hmm. He's drawing something...hold on a minute," he mouthed at Sirius.

A minute ticked by. "Oh, nice! It's a broomstick," said Remus.

"Let me see," Sirius articulated silently.

James folded his parchment and aimed it at Sirius. It landed on his desk, sending a quill skittering. Sirius unfolded it quickly. "Ah. It's a Nimbus 1500. Newest model."

"You recognized it?" asked James, smiling.

"Yeah. It's a pretty accurate drawing...I saw one in Diagon Alley."

"I wish I had one of those," said James longingly, just as the bell rang.

"Don't we all?" Sirius retorted.

----

"What a _long_ week this was," Tami said, stretching her arms. Most of the Gryffindors were in their common room, Tami and Lily included. They had just completed their potions homework. "You definitely have a talent for this, Lily. You knew half the answers without checking the book."

Lily smiled mildly, and scratched Tiger gently behind one ear. "Thanks. It was a good idea to get homework out of the way. Now we have the rest of the weekend off."

Lily had proven to be a natural at potions. This had come as somewhat of a pleasant surprise to her, because she hadn't realized that Muggleborns could be of equal standing to purebloods, who had been familiar with magic all their lives. She gently removed Tiger from her lap and watched her saunter away, tail held jauntily high.

"What'll we do tomorrow?" Tami asked.

"Dunno. Sleep late, for a start. And we could go about on the grounds, I guess, and enjoy the last few warm days left this year."

"But I thought you said, you don't want me to let you sleep late anymore..." Tami said mischievously.

"Oh, you—!" Lily crumpled a parchment and threw it at her. Tami just laughed as it bounced harmlessly off her head, and they maneuvered their way across the common room, together, to put their books away.

Meanwhile, James, Sirius and Remus trooped into the common room. They headed towards one of the few empty couches left and threw themselves onto it. "Why is our curfew so early?" Sirius griped. "First years aren't allowed to do _anything._" He couldn't stand rules, having had too many of them at home, for too long.

Remus shrugged. "What would we do? We don't know our way around this place, yet. Maybe we should start figuring out how to find the kitchens."

Sirius got up and stretched. "Good idea. Then we'll be able to eat, at least, when we haven't anything better to do." He grinned. "Although I can't think of many things I'd rather do than eat. Let's go upstairs, though, it's too noisy down here."

"Aw, come on, Sirius...we just sat down," James complained.

"Don't be so lazy, mate. Come on up. Your bed's much more comfortable, anyway."

"Why is he always right?" James muttered, following Remus and Sirius upstairs.

"Have you seen that other boy around?" James asked when they reached their dormitory. "The one that sleeps with us?"

"His name's Peter Pettigrew," Remus said.

"How did you know that?" Sirius demanded, looking amazed.

Remus rolled his eyes at him. "I asked," he replied.

"Hmm. I reckon we _could_ talk to him every once in a while, you know," Sirius said, as though the idea hadn't occurred to him before.

"I reckon we could," James replied thoughtfully. "After all, he _does_ share our dorm. We can't ignore him for the next seven years, can we?"

"No, not really," Remus said dryly.

"Ah, that's what I thought," Sirius said. "A pity."

----

The month of October began without much incident, but Sirius' eating fifty-four chocolate frogs in a row at the Halloween feast definitely broke the record.

There had been bets going around as to when he was going to be sick, but when he got to the forty-ninth, he merely belched loudly, and although his face was slightly flushed, continued eating, utterly disgusting the girls.

"That is so revolting," Lily muttered, green eyes narrowed.

"_Boys,_" Tami said, shaking her head. "Let's get out of here."

"Take along some food, we'll eat it upstairs."

"Okay." Tami grinned and reached for a mound of chocolate frogs.

"No!" Lily groaned. "Please, no frogs."

Laughing, they piled licorice wands, cauldron cakes, taffy dragons, sugar unicorns, and pumpkin pasties into their arms, and then headed for their dormitory.

----

_5 Nov. 1971  
Dearest Mum and Dad, _

Me and Tami have become mates with another girl in our year, Danielle Cruz. She never stops talking, seriously! I know Tami's a chatterbox, but she can't compare to Dani. You couldn't shut Danielle up if you paid her, honestly. She's really sweet, though; very nice, and smart, too. Everybody can't help but love her. I wish you could meet her, but she's going home to Wales for Christmas. She has a third year brother, Justin, in Ravenclaw. He's sort of cute, for a boy.

I'm having a fantastic time in Hogwarts! It's definitely my favorite place in the entire world, except for home, of course. The holidays'll be here soon, and me and Tami'll be coming home! Too bad we can't bring Dani along, too.

Send my--Lily hesitated. Then she lowered her quill decisively, and continued writing.--_love to Petunia. _

Love you and miss you,

Lily

----

28 Nov. 1971  
Dear Dad,

I can't _believe_ it's already the end of November. Time sure flies when you're having fun! And boy, are we having fun. Lily is an absolutely marvelous witch, just like I knew she would be. Don't worry about me, though, I'm not bad either! And Dani keeps us all smiling. She's really a dear.

That boy I mentioned in my last letter, James Potter, got into a serious scrape yesterday with Mr. Filch. Apparently, Potter's Kneazle and Filch's cat got into a disagreement over something, and were having a grand old catfight in the Entrance Hall.

Mr. Filch was going to give Potter a detention for a month, but just then Professor McGonagall came along and asked Tiger-that's Potter's Kneazle-what had happened.

I reckon, being a cat Animagus, the Professor can talk to cats. So anyway, she let Tiger and Mrs. Norris each tell their own version of the story, and decided that Mrs. Norris provoked Tiger. She scolded them both, though, and told them off for not behaving like ladies. Can you imagine that!

And then she said that Potter couldn't possibly have stopped that fight from happening, as he hadn't even been there when it started, so it was entirely not his fault. Filch was furious, of course, and Tiger had such a self-satisfied expression on her face-as if she had planned the whole thing. I couldn't stop laughing the entire day.

Hugs and kisses,  
_Tami_

P.S. Mrs. Norris's left ear was torn almost clean off, but all Tiger got was a scratch on one leg. Ha!

P.P.S. Only two-and-a-half weeks till the hols!

----

_10 Dec. 1971  
Dear Dad and Mum, _

We-that is, Sirius, Remus and I-have finally found the entrance to the kitchens. We knew it had to be somewhere underneath the Great Hall, but there were more than a hundred paintings down there, all of food, and it took ages to find the right one. Especially since the house-elves hardly ever use the entrance.

Thanks for that tip about having to tickle a pear, Dad--

"Oh, why did you tell him?" Mrs. Potter asked. "_We_ had to figure it out ourselves."

"Shush," Mr. Potter replied, laughing, and continued reading the letter from their only child.

_--it narrowed the search considerably. Though there must've been a hundred pears down there._

Mr. Potter laughed. "Yeah, well, I didn't make it _too_ easy for him."

_The house-elves are very friendly and helpful, and now we've all the food we could possibly want. _

Remus's grandmother hasn't been feeling well lately, although the healers haven't yet diagnosed exactly what is wrong with her. He's going home to be with her this weekend...I hope she feels better soon.

Tiger is busy exploring the castle, and every other day she'll show me some new shortcut she's found. She manages pretty well on her own, but every once in a while she'll get stuck in one of those disappearing steps and realize that she still needs me, or at least my help, sometimes.

Some days I hardly see her, and she'll come back at the end of the day, purring and fed. She's having a great time here, whatever she's up to. So am I.

Only six days till the holidays; we'll be home soon!

XOXO James

P.S. Send the horses my love, especially Middy, and give them each an apple from me.


	6. An Icy Glitter

"Oh, dear Merlin! We're here, we're here..." Danielle was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I totally _love_ the holidays, don't you? Joaquin's picking me up because he rents that flat in London, anyway...I wonder if he's here already."

Joaquin, the oldest of Dani's three elder brothers, had graduated Hogwarts four years earlier and worked at an apothecary in Diagon Alley.

Danielle stood on tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Lily quirked an eyebrow at Tami, who grinned. Dani's excitement was contagious. Besides, who _didn't_ love the holidays?

"Calm down, Dani," Tami said soothingly. "I'm sure your brother'll be here for you soon." The platform was packed and very noisy with parents exclaiming over their long unseen children.

"Yeah, but what if he's _not_? What if he got delayed, or something, and then I'll have to wait here for, like, _ages_ and get all cold and hungry and tired...and I'll be _terrified!_" Dani clasped her hands together and tapped one shoe nervously against the stone platform. Then she set her chin resolutely. "Okay, Lily, Tami--he's not here. I reckon we'll just have to--"

"Were you looking for me, by any chance?"

Danielle whirled around to see her brother. "Oh! Joaquin! _There_ you are! How'd you find me? It's so crowded here!"

"Followed the sound of your voice," he said, grinning and rolling his eyes.

Lily and Tami smirked, but Danielle just laughed. "I know, I know, I can't stop talking today...but come _on_; I'm so excited! I mean, it's like, finally the holidays!"

It wasn't just around the holidays, though, that Dani was so exuberant. She was this way all year round. She always blurted out exactly what she was thinking and feeling, sometimes with embarrassing results.

Even though she was often very blunt, nobody was able to stay mad at her for too long because _she_ never held any grudges against her friends and family. She loved everyone, unconditionally, unless they intentionally hurt her. In which case, she would never let them forget it, and would make sure everyone else knew about it, too.

She had a neighbor she hadn't spoken to in over two years, because he always teased her and had embarrassed her purposely once at a party. As far as she was concerned, people like that didn't exist, so she swore to ignore him forever. And she had never yet broken a promise.

"Okay, whatever," said Joaquin, a tad impatiently. "I know you're excited and all, but we still have to make a stop at my flat before I take you home. Let's go."

"Write to me...see you after the holidays!" Dani called to her friends.

"Okay, bye," said Lily, smiling.

Tami grinned. "Bye, see you."

"Bye, Lily, Tami!" Dani called. "I'll miss you tons!"

"I bet your ears will appreciate the holiday," Joaquin said, winking at them as he put Dani's trunk onto the trolley he was pushing.

"Hey!" Danielle punched him lightly on the arm. "Was that an insult, you big bully?" She waved to Tami and Lily and melted into the crowds with her brother, bickering lightly with him.

"Merlin, she cracks me up," Tami said, laughing.

Lily smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Weaving their way through the crowds, they kept a lookout for their parents while watching the other students being greeted by their relatives. "Come _on_ boy, I don't have all day," a voice said harshly from about ten feet away.

The girls turned to see Sirius Black standing next to a tall, dark-haired, rather handsome wizard. His appealing features were obscured, however, by the hateful look on his face.

"Is that...Sirius' dad?"

"I hope not," Lily answered, pursing her lips.

"Your mother was right, I should've let you _walk _home," the tall wizard continued ruthlessly. "You ungrateful piece of dragon dung, did you _have_ to go and get sorted into Gryffindor? Disgusting." He spat onto the platform at Sirius' feet.

"Eww," Lily whispered.

Sirius kept his eyes focused on the ground, a slight scowl on his face. "I didn't choose which house to go into, Father," he said quietly, his teeth clenched.

"You bloody well _did,_ boy, and you know it." He walked off, not bothering to see if Sirius was following.

"I guess that answers my question," Tami said to Lily in a dismayed whisper. "Oh, _Merlin_. Dear, sweet Merlin...that was awful." Tami shook her head in shock and disbelief. "He has to go through that _every day_ for the rest of the holidays?"

"Heavens," Lily said. "I didn't know he had it that bad...no wonder he's always badmouthing his parents. It's probably his only outlet to express his frustration and anger…." Lily bit her lip and knitted her eyebrows together. One thing she couldn't abide was bullying. The concept of hurting someone defenseless, especially if they were younger than their oppressors, absolutely horrified her. And in this case, the person bullying Sirius was a parent...That was just so wrongUnjustifiable.

"Hi, Dad!" Tami yelled suddenly, waving her arms wildly above her head.

Mr. Lorens strode over to them. "Hello, Tami, Lily." He hugged his daughter tightly and smiled at Lily. "How are you doing, flower?" he asked Lily, using one of her father's favorite nicknames for her.

Lily grinned and rolled her eyes. That name always made her smile, and Mr. Lorens knew it. "Just fine, thanks," she answered. "Where's my dad?"

Mr. Lorens laughed. "He had a bit of an accident in the kitchen. He decided to try this new recipe for stuffed turkey he found somewhere, on account of your mother telling him he should help out for the holidays." He grinned.

Lily smiled. "What? _Dad_ decided to cook? My goodness...whatever next?" They loaded their trunks onto a trolley and headed for the entrance to the platform, pushing their way through the throngs of people crowding the small space.

"So, what happened?" Tami asked curiously, once they had left the noisy station and were seated in the Lorens' warm, magically-enhanced car.

"Ah, he…er…put the turkey at too high a degree, I think, and it exploded inside the oven. Sprayed stuffing all over, too." He laughed again.

Lily and Tami laughed too. "Yup, sure sounds like Dad," Lily said. "I don't think he'll ever get the hang of cooking. I mean, he's great at gardening, carpentry...loads of stuff. Cooking's just not his department."

"You bet it isn't," Mr. Lorens replied, grinning.

"Oh, come on, Dad, you can't cook either," Tami interjected in defense of Lily's father.

"Merlin knows, I can't. And it must be twice as hard with those Muggle ovens. Ah, well, you're right, Lily. Not all of us were made to be chefs. Now, girls, tell me all about Hogwarts. I _do_ miss that place."

----

"Wake up, wake up; it's Christmas!" Tami danced across Lily's bedroom and pulled the window shade up, flooding the room with weak dawn light.

Lily pulled her horse-patterned quilt up to her chin and groaned loudly. "Ohh...my head...I'm so tired. What time is it?"

"Around six. Don't you _like_ to get up early? Aren't you always boasting that you're a 'morning person'?"

"Yeah...but that's only if my body wakes up on its own, fully rested. And _that_ happens maybe twice a month," Lily replied, yawning hugely.

"Ha. So you're a morning person _twice a month_?"

"Shut up, Tami." Lily gave her an evil look and rolled over, pulling her quilt over her head. A few quiet moments passed, Tami sitting quietly on the edge of Lily's bed.

"Well," she said brightly. Lily groaned again. "Now that you're up anyway, don't you want to open your presents?"

"Tami," Lily said slowly, shaking her head. "Don't you _remember_ that my family doesn't unwrap the presents until everybody's up?" Sighing, she sat up in bed and drew her knees up to her chin. "Though now that I think about it, you've probably woken everyone up."

Lily's mood improved drastically as her pounding headache slowly began to disappear, and she finally began comprehending the significance of the day.

"Nah, they're all still sleeping. Your family could sleep through an earthquake. Good thing we don't get them around here. Now come _on_, could you get out of bed already!"

Lily laughed and swung her feet out from under the covers, sinking them into the soft, lilac rug at the side of her bed. She stood and stretched slowly. "You win, Tami. I'm getting up. I'll be over at your house in about fifteen minutes, and we can play Gobstones or something till everyone else wakes up."

Tami grinned. "All right! You always beat me at Gobstones, though." She laughed, a musical sound Lily loved. "Hurry up," she called over her shoulder as she left the room, causing the tiny particles of dust, which had been gently floating downward in the light shining through the window, to swirl wildly...as if they were celebrating, too.

----

Tiger, curled up on a soft, leather window seat; yawned delicately, laid her head on her paws, and closed her eyes contentedly.

"Ah." James leaned back in his chair, replete after a huge Christmas dinner. "I can't eat another bite...I swear, I'm more stuffed than that turkey was."

Mr. Potter laughed and ruffled his son's hair affectionately, causing James' naturally untidy hair to become even messier. "I'll take your word for it. Go on outside then, and get some exercise," he said, winking.

"Can I go flying?" James asked excitedly. Although he hadn't gotten the new Nimbus 1500 he had wanted for Christmas, his family owned many good-quality broomsticks and he was itching to fly again. At Hogwarts, after all, the teachers were afraid to let the first years fly without supervision, because so many students claimed to have flying skills when they actually didn't even know which end of the broomstick was front.

And _supervision_ meant not flying too high, or too fast, or too far...the list was endless.

"If it's all right with your father you can, dear," his mother said fondly. "Be back before dark, though."

"Just let me disillusion you, James, in case of any wandering Muggles," his father said, grinning. "That new cloak of yours won't stay on while you're flying."

He was referring to the fantastic Christmas present James had received from his elderly grandfather. Grandpa Potter's wife had died years ago, and he lived alone, barely spending any gold. On occasion, he'd indulge in ridiculously expensive gifts for his only grandson.

This time, he'd gotten James an invisibility cloak. James had already thought of a thousand different ways it would come in handy at Hogwarts. He couldn't wait to use it.

With a tap of his father's wand, James blended into the chair he was sitting in. "Thanks, Dad!" he said, and took off at a run, heading outside to the broom shed.

"Take along a hat!" his mother shouted after him.

Flying miles above the ground, the crisp air whipping his hair back, James couldn't imagine anything he'd rather be doing. He loved everything about flying. The speeds he could achieve...the distances he could cover...the sheer feeling of power that came only from flying high above the earth.

After a while, though, it occurred to him that he would enjoy it much _more_ if he weren't alone. Growing up as an only child, James had accepted the fact of having to be without people his own age most of the time, but he'd never gotten completely used to it. He loved having friends, and realized that he would enjoy flying much more if Sirius or Remus were soaring beside him.

For some unexplained reason, the image of Lily Evans popped into his head. _It wouldn't be bad to have her up here in the air, either,_ he thought. A different voice in his head said, _Merlin, she's a _girl!_ What on earth do you want a girl up here for?_

The arrogant voice went unanswered, however, and James flew on, a thoughtful expression in his hazel eyes.

----

"Okay, don't move! Nobody move..." Tami reached out with two trembling fingers that held an Exploding Snap card. "This castle's almost done..."

Leaning over her nearly completed card castle, Tami slowly began lowering the card onto the top. "Ha! See, Lily, I told you—AAHH!" She shrieked and jumped back as the castle exploded and burst into magical flames. "Jinx it. I was almost _there..._"

Lily laughed uproariously. "Ha! You knew that was going to happen, why'd you shriek so loudly? You just lost the bet."

Earlier, Lily had told Tami that she could be first to read the new novel Lily had gotten for Christmas..._if_ Tami could build a castle out of Exploding Snap cards without the castle exploding before she was done. As if _that_ was possible.

It was the first novel she owned that was written by a witch, and she was looking forward to reading it. The witch was quite famous in the magical world, and Tami had already read several of her books and was dying to read this one, too.

"You'll get it right after I finish it," Lily said, grinning hugely.

Tami had gotten her an enchanted hairbrush, "For when you get up late, you warped morning-person." Lily could choose from fifteen different styles and the brush would create them for her.

_As for Petunia_...Lily frowned. Petunia, clearly wishing to make up for her outburst before Lily left for Hogwarts, had gotten her a very expensive...ballpoint pen. _Which I'm never going to have any use for in Hogwarts,_ Lily thought, shaking her head.

She had, however, thanked Petunia enthusiastically and promised that she 'couldn't bear to use it up' and would keep it in a special place on her shelf.

Petunia had looked a bit put out by her response-after all, pens were made for writing, not being stared at-but what was Lily supposed to have done? She had gotten accustomed to writing with quills, and didn't have any use for pens anymore.

Petunia was doing her best to be nice throughout the holidays, but every once in a while, Lily would catch Petunia scowling when she thought Lily wasn't looking. Petunia's attitude hurt Lily more deeply than she would ever have cared to admit. _It's not like _I_ prevented her from being a witch, too,_ she thought, and sighed.

"Lily, you idiot, what are you sighing for? It's Christmas! Let's go to the park and kick around a football. Race you to the front door!" And she was out of the room as fast as if a dragon were chasing her.

Lily stared absently at the doorway through which Tami had just left. She knew that Tami was, if possible, missing her mother today more than usual, because of all the happy memories of past Christmases that were probably resurfacing. She understood that Tami was putting up a wildly happy front, while she was actually very upset inside, and Lily decided to get her to talk about it at the park. If she wouldn't talk about it first, Lily knew Tami would probably end up crying all night.

"Oh, Lii-ly!" Tami's voice floated upstairs. "Guess what? I won!"

"Hey, that's not fair," Lily called back, sitting up on the bed and beginning to laugh. "You started first!"

"Well, come on down then, and I'll race you to the corner! I'll beat you again, wait and see."

"Okay, wait," Lily said as she headed out of the bedroom. "I'm coming."

----

"You despicable boy, why haven't you finished setting the table?" a voice shrieked.

"Your grandparents will be here in exactly eight minutes!"

"Mum! I did my half. Regulus should do the other half!"

"Don't get smart with me, boy," Mrs. Black snarled, striking Sirius hard on the cheek. Sirius fought the urge to draw his hand up and rub at the stinging place.

"I never divided the table into halves. Regulus is obviously otherwise occupied, so _set the damn table NOW!"_ she shrieked, and strode from the room.

Sirius glowered at Regulus, who was seated in a leather armchair near the fire, composedly finishing a chocolate frog. Regulus glanced carefully at the door through which his mother had exited and walked towards Sirius, pulling another frog out of his pocket. "Want a frog?" he asked.

"No, thanks," Sirius muttered. "I'm okay." Regulus shrugged in response and left, quietly closing the door behind him.

Sirius scowled. Regulus was afraid to defend him in front of their mother, and with good reason. Regulus knew that the minute he openly supported Sirius, Mum would abuse him, too. So he opted for the easy way out and kept quiet at the sidelines, sometimes even assisting with the abuse. A true Black, Regulus would rather save his own ass than do what was right.

Mum's abuse had tripled since Sirius had been accepted into Gryffindor. This had confirmed, in her opinion, what she was always telling him--that he was worthless dragon dung and not fit to carry the name of the noble house of Black.

Sirius' scowl became more pronounced. "All right, Mum," he muttered. "I'll set your damn table." He strode over to the tall glass cabinet sitting in one corner, where many Dark artifacts and potions were kept. Unlocking it with a tap of his wand, he stared at the assortment of bottles on the third shelf, deliberating which one to choose. _Ah, yes. Perfect._ He reached for a clear crystal decanter filled with bright blue liquid.

His mother had poured a spoonful of that down his throat the day she bought it, "To make sure it's authentic." And indeed it had been. Sirius' mouth had gotten so severely burned, he hadn't been able to speak for a week, much to his mother's delight. It hadn't left him with any lasting physical damage, but the hate he harbored towards his mother had, justifiably, intensified.

_Now, Mum, you'll finally get a taste of your own potion,_ Sirius thought vindictively. He carefully poured a capful onto his mother's plate, where it instantly disappeared. But any food that touched it would absorb the invisible potion, and her mouth would burn like the fires of hell...

Sirius' eyes gleamed as he replaced the bottle on its shelf. He finished setting the table quickly, then walked quietly out of the room. He closed the door gently and leaned against it, staring unseeingly up the darkened, deserted hallway. "Happy Christmas, Mum," he whispered, smiling to himself in a satisfied way. But the smile was a bitter one, devoid of any real happiness or fulfillment.

**A/N:** So, did you like it? This chapter is one of my favorites...and free brownies go to everyone who reviews!


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